Introduction
The goal for the personal essay unit was to write a 650-word essay about an aspect of ourselves or our lives that explain san important part about who we are. I decided to write about my experience dealing with a serious injury in dance and how being raised by a single mother taught me ways to cope with this and to push forward doing what I love.
Essay
After twenty years of marriage, my mom, with three sons and a daughter on the way (me), became a single mother on a teacher’s salary. Despite all the financial and emotional instability brought on by her new lifestyle, she never fell short of giving me and my siblings and me an opportunity-filled childhood. By the time I was old enough to understand my mom’s struggles to create a sense of normalcy for our family, I offered to help save money by quitting dance. She always responded: “Do what you love, and I will find a way to make it happen.”
Feeling grateful, yet a little guilty, I excelled in dance to prove myself worthy of her sacrifices. Every time I entered the studio, I made sure to be on my A-game by pushing my physical limits, both in class and on stage. Dance was a privilege I wanted to earn and never take for granted.
Last spring, dancing at a competition, I noticed a nagging soreness in my lower leg. By the end of the night, the pain grew progressively worse, and I knew something was very wrong. A trip to the orthopedist and an MRI confirmed that I had a bone tumor toward the bottom of my right fibula. The doctor strongly suggested either an invasive bone biopsy or a lengthy break from dance, both preventing any physical activity for months. Despite my devastation, I could not afford a permanent injury right before audition season and yielded to the doctor’s orders. After taking six weeks off, I was cleared to ease back into dance with the stern warning to stop any physical activity if the pain was intolerable.
With a tumor in my right ankle, my mind and body were officially at war. Since I could neither jump, turn, nor move the way I wanted, my dancing took a turn for the worst. With my confidence declining, I stood in the back of the room and never volunteered to demonstrate. I also struggled emotionally and academically, detaching myself from peers and mentors. After spending many nights crying from fear and frustration, my dream of being a professional dancer felt unattainable. Meanwhile, my mom’s concerns about my physical health and well-being grew.
Despite her previously consistent support, my mom suggested quitting dance for good. As a mother, she had the responsibility to guide my actions and decisions away from harm. Although taken aback by her change of heart, I decided that I needed to learn to dance for myself and take a risk to continue my dance training. I would move through the aching pain in my ankle because the reward would be worth it; I could dance. Naturally, my response mirrored her once supportive attitude: I will do what I love and I will find a way to make it happen.
After months of training and cautiously testing my body’s limits, my strength and flexibility, despite my injury, have improved, and I continue competing and performing as usual. I also use the frustration and pain from the injury to emote more and connect better with the audience. I learned that hard work was not enough to make me a better dancer – the efforts had to be combined with unrelenting determination.
In the future, I want to share my passion for dance by giving kids with limited access to the arts the same opportunities that my mom offered me. With experience fundraising and teaching weekend workshops for underprivileged kids, as well as attending multiple dance teacher conferences, I hope to become a better educator and continue inspiring young dancers to pursue their passions. I have learned to accept the fact that my body cannot move the same way forever, but I will always be devoted to dance, no matter the obstacle. Without my mom’s encouragement and financial support, I would have never found my desire to share this gift with others.
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